Manufacturing

Trina Solar has produced n-type and p-type monocrystalline and p-type multicrystalline solar cells with new record conversion efficiencies. Trina Solar expects the technologies used to become part of its future production roadmap.

Major China-based PV manufacturer, JA Solar, has had TUV Rheinland verify its PERC cell technology modules have a record-high >17.2% conversion efficiency, producing a standard 60-cell module with a performance figure above 280W.

Ahead of its financial analyst day event, major PV energy provider SunPower has pre-released financial guidance for 2015, while announcing its highly anticipated next wave of manufacturing capacity expansions.

High-tech manufacturing equipment firm, Manz AG reported record revenue for the first nine months of 2014, driven by its Flat Panel Display segment, which generated €179.9 million from the total revenue of €250.9 million.

The largest polysilicon producer, GCL-Poly Energy Holdings and a group of other investors are to take a majority shareholding in bankrupt PV module manufacturer, Shanghai Chaori Solar. The company also announced plans to dispose of its wafer production business, which has recently been expanded to a nameplate capacity of 13GW.

First Solar and Belectric have started construction of one of the UK’s largest solar farms, a 46MW project in Oxfordshire that will bring large-scale PV capacity deployed by the pair in the UK up to 80MW when completed.

First Solar reported third quarter net sales of US$889 million, an increase of US$345 million from the second quarter of 2014. However, project delays would result in full-year revenue guidance lowered by US$100 million to a range of US$3.6 billion to US$3.9 billion.

Japanese thin-film manufacturer Solar Frontier has said its next-generation fab will trim a third off the cost of producing its CIGS modules.

Samsung SDI and PV inverter manufacturer, Sungrow Power Supply are to team on building and operating a lithium-ion battery energy storage plant in China and the supply of energy storage systems in the country.

Chang Zhou Almaden a major PV glass manufacturer in China is establishing a new manufacturing plant in Dubai to produce 400,000 PV glass substrates per annum.